On this large island of Silver Sand Bay, the most bustling area is located on the west side, where a crescent-shaped natural harbor is embedded.

On the easternmost part of the island, however, due to the presence of hidden currents and abundant reefs, and the lack of valuable development resources, it still retains its original natural appearance.

At this moment, on the east coast, a mycelium ship, with its bottom worn flat, lay tilted on the shore, the hull being practically disassembled. This was the price of forcefully crashing ashore.

During the last bit of chaos, two mermaids broke free from the mycelium tendrils and escaped, though Lin Jun wasn't concerned about whether they got away or not by this point.

Most of the Red Coral Fruit on board had stayed intact. Since it wasn't suitable to carry them around, Lin Jun hid them under a pile of stones.

Due to Dylan's current appearance, which resembled a beggar too much, Lin Jun had no choice but to use his skilled knife techniques to help Dylan trim his scraggly beard and overly long hair, resulting in only three cuts during the process.

"I didn't expect us to end up directly at Silver Sand Bay."

Realizing his location, Dylan couldn't help but marvel at his luck, having initially thought he would end up on another island before having to take a ship over.

"Don't get excited too quickly. Think about how much time this trip has already cost you, and whether you can even find your daughter." Lin Jun retorted bluntly, "Let's check out the tavern first."

Dylan scratched his head, considering how going to the tavern to gather information is indeed standard procedure, but—

"Boss, we don't have any money on us right now..."

All of Dylan's gold coins, along with his luggage, sank into the sea in the fog, and he had been pondering how to earn some money since earlier.

"We're going to the tavern to make money." Lin Jun replied matter-of-factly.

Since the boss put it that way...

Dylan pushed open the tavern door, named Broken Sword and Leftovers; he was almost driven out by the smell wafting from inside upon entering.

Though Dylan himself also stank, for almost a month he'd been breathing fresh natural air, and suddenly coming into this smoke-filled mix of cheap alcohol and sweat was indeed a bit jarring.

Particularly the smell of tobacco inside, which he hadn't encountered in Dumb Wind Town, leading Dylan to suspect it might be a regional specialty of the archipelago here.

"Sir..."

A timid voice reached him—it was a slave servant, carrying a tray of alcohol, with an iron collar around the neck.

It wasn't until then that Dylan noticed he was blocking an already cramped passageway.

Silently, he stepped aside, inadvertently glancing more at the slave servant.

Thin and weak, fresh and old whip marks entwined on the wrists and calves, with a slave brand burned into the back of the neck by a hot iron.

In the kingdom, while there were also slaves, they were mostly concentrated in the estates of nobles, where no owner would employ a slave as a tavern servant. Clearly, the culture in the archipelago differed from that of the kingdom.

Just as Dylan was about to avert his gaze, a foot suddenly extended from shadows, precisely tripping up the slave servant.

Bang!

The tray of alcohol slipped from the hands, ceramic cups shattered, and murky liquor splashed all over.

The slave hit the greasy floor hard, with shards cutting the skin, and his muffled cry drowned in the burst of laughter.

"Look at this fool!" The man who tripped him laughed loudly, the people around joining him in chorus.

The tavern owner behind the counter frowned as he glanced at the liquor stain and shards on the floor, impatiently telling the slave, "Clean up this mess, you worthless thing."

Then he discontentedly addressed the patron who tripped the servant, "This loss will be added to your tab."

The patron shrugged; the money meant nothing to him.

Dylan, watching the slave on the floor collecting the shards, shuddered at the thought of Bella ending up like this...

He involuntarily clenched his hand.

"Dylan, let's go over there."

"Ah?"

Following the boss's instructions, Dylan stepped over the slave crawling on the floor, circling around the left side of the tavern.

"Like this?" Dylan asked.

"Alright, alright, that's enough."

The Scout Backpack quietly slipped a small pouch into Dylan's hand, and upon inspection—it was a pouch of money.

"What is this...?"

"Found it!"

Dylan's eye twinged, though he wasn't a Holy Knight, and they did need money now...

With money, everything is easier. Two silver coins got the tavern owner to point out an information broker to Dylan.

A glass of iced fruit wine was slid by Dylan in front of a small man sitting in an inconspicuous corner.

The small man took a casual sip, then said, "I haven't seen you before; you know it takes more than one drink, right?"

Ten silver coins were thrown onto the table, and the small man smirked, accepting the coins while muttering, "Just regular news..."

Then he started rattling off some of the well-known recent news stories.

From the Giant Horn Island being completely consumed by fog, to the increasingly hostile relationships between the three major slave owners of the archipelago, as well as the big event recently occurring in Silver Sand Bay—the secretary of Glosa was brutally murdered in an outhouse, and Defense Commander Oruk was helpless as the killer escaped, leading to his dismissal and replacement by a rising star.

After he finished, Dylan asked, "If I want to inquire about a specific person..."

The small man squinted, tapping the table twice with his fingers.

After tossing in another 30 silver coins, Dylan got a person's name and a location.

Dylan was just about to rise to leave when a dispute suddenly erupted in the tavern.

"There's no running a tab here." The tavern owner placed down the mug he was polishing, remarking coldly.

And the guy who just tripped the slave was frantically patting himself down, unable to find his money pouch.

"It... it must be that slave! He was the only one near me earlier, swiping it amidst the chaos!"

The owner, uninterested in his defense, said, "No money, then leave your weapon and redeem it with funds!"

The surrounding onlookers relished in the schadenfreude, finding humor in both the slave's and the patron's predicament.

The laughter angered the man, prompting him to draw his curved saber, barking at the crowd, "What's so funny?"

But this only earned him more jeers.

The owner, meanwhile, silently took down a hand axe from behind the counter.

Bang!

The door was kicked open, an arrogant voice calling out, "What's going on? I could hear the noise from outside. Is Tian Qi already causing trouble upon his new appointment?"

It was a guard speaking, as he pushed through the suddenly silent crowd.

Behind him, a middle-aged man referred to as Tian Qi entered with more guards in tow.

His gaze swept across the room as though surveying his domain, finally landing on the man with the saber.

"Mr. Defense Commander, this guy tried to freeload and then made trouble." The tavern owner suddenly chimed in.

"I... I'm not..." The man wanted to argue, but Tian Qi already waved for the guards to seize him.

Although the man was armed with a curved saber, he didn't dare counter the guards. Not everyone could pull off an escape after committing a crime like that previous assassin in Silver Sand Bay...

Seeing the other patrons' evasive glances, he nodded in satisfaction, turning to leave the tavern.

After he exited, the short guy sitting next to Dylan whispered, "That's the rising star new defense commander I was talking about."

Nobody noticed the backpack hiding behind a chair, avoiding the possible gaze of the defense commander.

Lin Jun's feelings were mixed as he recalled the defense commander's profile earlier.

[Name: Tanaka Hideyuki]

[Race: Human]

[Level: Level 18]

[Skills: Memory Erasure Level 4...]

[Title: Hero]

What the hell?

There's another Hero?

And a Japanese one at that?

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.